Main Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer, Vittorio Gassman, Anita Ekberg
Release Year: 1956
Country: IT/US
Run Time: 208 minutes
Plot
War and Peace is a commendable attempt to boil down Tolstoy's long, difficult novel into 208 minutes' screen time. In recreating the the social and personal upheavals attending Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia, $6 million was shelled out by coproducers Carlo Ponti, Dino de Laurentiis and Paramount Pictures. Some of the panoramic battle sequences are so expertly handled by second-unit director Mario Soldati that they appear to be Technicolor-and-Vistavision newsreel footage of the actual events. Still, the film falters dramatically, principally because of a lumpy script and King Vidor's surprisingly lustreless direction. In addition, the casting is wildly consistent: for example, while Audrey Hepburn is flawless as Natasha, Henry Fonda is far too "Yankeefied" as the introspective Pierre. Proving too long and unwieldy for most audiences, War and Peace died at the box office; far more successful was the epic, scrupulously faithful 1968 version, filmed in the Soviet Union. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
In spite of its three-hour length, this 1956 King Vidor film presents only a surface perusal of the panoramic, character-packed novel on which it is based, Russian writer Leo Tolstoy's two-inch-thick tome War and Peace. Nevertheless, the movie gives viewers just enough of the novel to allow them to browse Russian drawing rooms and battlefields and to eavesdrop on the lives and longings of people affected by the brutal war and social upheaval of 1805-1815. The acting is sometimes very good and sometimes very bad, while the cinematography and historical ambience are outstanding. The camera follows Pierre Bezuhov (Henry Fonda) as he wanders through a degenerate youth, a flawed marriage, and the turbulence of war, finally arriving at his true self: an idealist bent on helping others. Along the way, a dashing, sophisticated soldier, Prince Andrey Bolkonsky (Mel Ferrer) outcharms Bezuhoy for the hand of lovely Natasha Rostov (Audrey Hepburn). Fonda is good, Ferrer is mediocre, and Hepburn is excellent; however, modern audiences -- spoiled by the linguistic derring-do of such actors as Meryl Streep, Bob Hoskins, and Gwyneth Paltrow -- may balk at the hodgepodge of non-Russian accents. As the Russian characters go about their lives, the ominous advance of Napoleon and his army is ever on their minds. Herbert Lom (widely remembered as Peter Sellers' boss in the Pink Panther films) portrays the French despot with as much verve and panache as any actor who ever stepped into the role. On the other hand, buxom Swede Anita Ekberg is simply awful as Pierre Bezuhov's wife. Apparently, her presence in the film was a concession to prurience and box-office draw. All in all, though, Vidor's War and Peace is a decent production -- a keyhole that affords a glimpse into a gigantic novel and a world in turmoil. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
Oscar Homolka - Gen. Mikhail Kutuzov; Herbert Lom - Napoleon; John Mills - Platon; Helmut Dantine - Dolokhov; Milly Vitale - Lise; Barry Jones - Count Ilya Rostov; Wilfred Lawson - Prince Nicholas Bolkonsky; Jeremy Brett - Nicholas Rostov; Sean Barrett - Petya Rostov; Anna Maria Ferrero - Mary Bolkonskv; Tullio Carminatti - Kuragin; Patrick Crean - Denisov; Gertrude Flynn - Peronskaya; Marisa Allasio - Matriosa; Vincent Barbi - Balaga; Georges Brehat - French Officer at Execution; Guido Celano - Napoleon's Officer; David Crowley; Bob Cunningham - Pierre's Second at Duel; Carlo Dale; Mino Doro - Russian General; Andre Eszterhazy - Dolokhov's Second; Andrea Fantasia - Constand; Charles Fawcett - Russian Artillery Captain; John Horne - Old Gentleman Dancing with Natasha; Clelia Matania - Mlle. Georges; Enrico Olivieri - French Drummer; Mimmo Palmara; Alfredo Rizzo - Soldiers During the Rostovs' Exile; Giacomo Rossi-Stuart - Young Cossack; Lea Seidl - Countess Rostov; Robert Stephens - Officers Talking with Natasha During Exile; Gualtiero Tumiati - Pierre's Father; Joop van Hulzen - Russian Officer; Michael Billingsley - Russian Soldier; Gilberto Tofano - Young Dying Soldier; Teresa Pellati - Masa; Cesare Barbetti - Young Boy; Paul Davis - Young French Officer; John Douglas; Jerry Riggio; Mai Britt; Geoffrey Copleston; Angelo Galassi; Marianna Leibl - Servant at Bolkonsky's; Alberto Carlo Lolli - Rostov's Major-Domo; Piero Palermini - Russian Artillery Lieutenant; Umberto Sacripante - Old Man; John Stacey; Michael Tor - Pope; Maria Zanoli - Mayra; Stephen Lang - Tichon; Richard Macnamara - De Beausset
Credit
Franz Bachelin - Art Director, Mario Chiari - Art Director, Gianni Polidori - Art Director, Maria de Matteis - Costume Designer, Guidarino Guidi - First Assistant Director, King Vidor - Director, Leo Cattozzo - Editor, Stuart Gilmore - Editor, Nino Rota - Composer (Music Score), Franco Ferrara - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jack Cardiff - Cinematographer, Aldo Tonti - Cinematographer, Dino de Laurentiis - Producer, Carlo Ponti - Producer, Piero Gherardi - Set Designer, Bridget Boland - Screenwriter, Mario Camerini - Screenwriter, Ennio de Concini - Screenwriter, Ivo Perilli - Screenwriter, Irwin Shaw - Screenwriter, King Vidor - Screenwriter, Robert Westerby - Screenwriter, Leo Tolstoy - Book Author
It was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film and it had Academy Awards nominations for Best Director (King Vidor), Best Cinematography, Color (Jack Cardiff) and Best Costume Design, Color (Maria De Matteis).
The movie script had to condense the extensive original. It is primarily focused on Natasha, Pierre,and Andrei, their complex relationship and personal maturation on the backdrop of the historical events of the Napoleonic invasion. In Moscow, most of the scenes take place at the Rostov residence, and episodes at the country estates are curtailed, with some exceptions such as the hunt where Natasha first meets Andrei. There are no scenes from St. Petersburg. The relationship between Nikolas, Sonya and Mary is toned down. Historical figures that are retained are General Kutuzov and Napoleon. Minor battles are omitted, while Napoleon's crossing of the Berezina is added. The concept of the inner dialogue is retained, notably in regard to Natasha, however, the extensive use of French is not retained in the movie. Events of the epilogue are not part of the movie, nor Tolstoy's discourses about history.
